State swing: recognising Palestine
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Scottish Sun
a few seconds ago
- Scottish Sun
Benjamin Netanyahu defies ex-army chiefs as he hints at new Gaza offensive despite calls to end war with Hamas
'We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas' CONQUER CALL Benjamin Netanyahu defies ex-army chiefs as he hints at new Gaza offensive despite calls to end war with Hamas Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at wider military action in Gaza despite former army and intelligence chiefs calling for the war to end. A security cabinet meeting was postponed last night amid mounting tensions about possible plans for a 'full occupation' of the battered Middle Eastern strip. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at a possible Gaza escalation despite calls to end the war with Hamas Credit: Getty Mr Netanyahu was said to be considering taking total control of the Palestinian-occupied territory to end the 22-month fight against Hamas. Senior Israeli military officials warned it could endanger the lives of captured hostages and further isolate the nation on the world stage. But local media reported Mr Netanyahu had already made up his mind, quoting an unnamed senior official saying: 'The die has been cast. 'We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas.' READ MORE WORLD NEWS SCHEME TRUMPED US deportees set for Rwanda hostel spruced up with £20m in UK taxpayer cash Previously, In a fiery address Sunday night, the Mr Netanyahu declared that Israel would press forward with a "decisive military victory" to free the remaining hostages. Netanyahu again vowed to crush Hamas, which he said was deliberately starving captives in scenes chillingly reminiscent of the Nazi death camps. Referencing horror hostage videos released by Hamas, he said: "You see them languishing in a dungeon, but the Hamas monsters surrounding them have thick, fleshy arms. "They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews." The footage — released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week and approved for publication by the families — shows the hostages visibly emaciated, trembling, and close to collapse. Starmer vows UK will recognise Palestine in weeks unless Israel ends crisis – but critics blast 'reward' for Hamas
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
If Lindsay Hoyle has nothing to hide, he should release his emails
LINDSAY Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is no stranger to controversy. In February 2024, he broke with Commons convention to effectively block a debate on a scheduled SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Allegedly he gave in to threats from Keir Starmer, then leader of the Opposition, who feared a significant rebellion amongst his back bench MPs just a couple of months away from a likely general election. It was alleged, but denied by both Hoyle and Starmer, that during a private and off the record meeting between the pair prior to the debate, Starmer had threatened Hoyle with the withdrawal of Labour support for Hoyle in the election for Speaker unless Hoyle blocked what could be a politically damaging debate for Starmer. Following that meeting, Hoyle broke with convention and decided to allow a Labour amendment to an SNP motion on Gaza to go to a vote, effectively denying the SNP the chance to vote on their own motion. [[SNP]] MPs then walked out of the Chamber in protest, and the [[SNP]] Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said that he and his MPs had lost confidence in the Speaker. READ MORE: Westminster denies Lindsay Hoyle 'personally intervened' on secret Israeli emails Hoyle later claimed that he had done so out of concern for the safety of MPs, an explanation which convinced no one. A furious Flynn later told the BBC that the Speaker had effectively lied to the Commons and that Hoyle's impartiality was now in question. A motion demanding Hoyle's resignation later amassed the signatures of 81 MPs. Now, Hoyle again finds himself at the centre of a row concerning Gaza. Hoyle allegedly intervened to block the release of emails he sent to Israeli politicians, though the House of Commons has since denied claims the Speaker personally stepped in. Responding to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request lodged by Declassified UK, the UK Government said Hoyle was the individual who had chosen not to release the written correspondence since October 2023 between himself and the Israeli Embassy, Labour Friends of Israel and members or officials of the Knesset, the Israeli legislature. The response said that Hoyle "has formed the reasonable opinion that disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs". The main prejudice the release would be likely to cause would be to the already tattered confidence in Hoyle's impartiality. If there was nothing of concern in the emails, why not release them? Hoyle previously visited Israel in November 2023 for a 'solidarity visit'. He has not displayed much interest in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are currently being starved to death in a man-made famine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could decide right now that all Palestinian children in Gaza should get a full meal tomorrow and it would happen. The necessary aid is just a few kilometres away from where it is desperately needed, but Netanyahu and his cabinet of religious extremists refuse to allow aid trucks to enter Gaza in any sufficient numbers necessary to avert a famine. Instead, in a sop to the man child in the White House, he has agreed to the televisually appealing but woefully inadequate airdropping of limited aid into the territory. Airdrops can never come close to supplying the quantity of aid which is required. Wind gusts being what they are, some of the aid launched out of the back of military cargo flights ends up in the sea where desperate and starving Palestinians risk being fired upon by Israeli gun boats as they attempt to retrieve bags of flour soaked in salt water. Dropping aid from aircraft is potentially dangerous, one man in Gaza told the BBC: "When aid is dropped from the air, it risks landing directly on tents, potentially causing serious harm, including injury or even death." While acknowledging that even a little aid is better than none, aid organisations harbour no illusions about the air drop campaign. Ciarán Donnelly of the International Rescue Committee told the BBC: 'Aid drops are a grotesque distraction from the reality of what's needed on the ground in Gaza right now. They can never deliver the volume, the consistency or the quality of aid and services that's needed.' READ MORE: Palestine Action protest to go ahead with more than 500 people, organisers say Videos of pallets of aid being parachuted out of aircraft might look good on TV, and allow the likes of Starmer to claim that something is being done, but it can never come remotely close to delivering the quantity of aid that is needed. In fact, it's a literal drop in the ocean. John Curtice weighs in on independence plans Polling expert John Curtice has given his opinion on First Minister John Swinney's plan to achieve independence, which rests upon the [[SNP]] winning a majority at Holyrood at the next Scottish elections. Given the current state of play of opinion polling, Curtice believes that it is "most extremely unlikely" that the [[SNP]] can win a majority of seats at [[Holyrood]] in May next year. Speaking at The Herald's Unspun Live at the Fringe, Curtice said: "What is he [John Swinney] doing? He is saying to people: if you want independence, vote SNP. Do not vote for Alba, do not vote for the Greens. 'He does not want there to be a fragmented list vote. He wants people to vote for the SNP. The challenge facing the SNP – the thing that has not changed in Scottish politics despite the turbulence of the last two and a half years – is support for independence. 'We are still around 50/50 on the independence question.' Curtice still believes that it is most likely that the SNP will be the largest party by a considerable margin, but it will have to reach an agreement with another party, most likely the Scottish Greens, in order to form a government. Labour's position is looking difficult, although not as difficult as that of the Tories, who face potential decimation at the hands of Reform, whom Curtice expects to win more than ten seats in Holyrood.
Spectator
4 hours ago
- Spectator
Ed Davey should stick to his silly stunts – not lecture us on Gaza
Ed Davey's got this Middle East business figured out. The Liberal Democrat leader has tweeted — because, honestly, what else is there to do as Lib Dem leader other than tweet? — his latest insight into the Gaza war: 'Now the Hamas terrorists behind the October 7 atrocities are trying to erode support for recognition of a Palestinian state by falsely claiming it would be a victory for them. Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people and have no future in Gaza with a two-state solution.' That's nice, Ed. Now, I'm not suggesting you're a disingenuous twit and should stick to making a prat of yourself on a surfboard instead of making a prat of yourself on foreign policy, but it couldn't hurt to get a second opinion. Just on the off-chance that you're desperately trying to deflect from your policy of handing Hamas a massive victory by calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state and its unfortunate – and surprising – side effect of handing Hamas a massive victory. In fact, I know who we can ask about what the Palestinians really think. Let's ask…the Palestinians. The Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research is widely respected for its analysis of Palestinian public opinion, not least for its researchers' unrivalled data-gathering in the middle of a war zone. The centre's most recent poll of Palestinian adults was conducted in May and asked a series of questions about the current war and the political mood in the West Bank and Gaza. If legislative elections were held tomorrow, how would they vote? Hamas 43 per cent Fatah 28 per cent Other parties 8 per cent Don't know 19 per cent Did Hamas commit atrocities against Israeli civilians, including women and children, on October 7? Yes 9 per cent No 87 per cent Do they support the disarmament of Hamas in order to stop the war in Gaza? Support 18 per cent Oppose 77 per cent Don't know 5 per cent Satisfaction level for each Palestinian faction or institution: Hamas 57 per cent Fatah 24 per cent Palestinian Authority 23 per cent Mahmoud Abbas 15 per cent Now, it's true that support for Hamas is falling, and on current polling it would not win a hypothetical presidential election. (The incumbent, Mahmoud Abbas, is currently in the 20th year of his four-year term. In Palestine, all elections are hypothetical.) But to suggest that Hamas 'do not represent the Palestinian people' is, if Davey is as fencepost-dumb as I suspect he is, a critical misunderstanding or, if there is a flicker of intelligent life that I have missed, an outright lie. Even if it is a lie, don't be too harsh on the man. You'd lie, too, if you were the kind of chump who thought recognising a Palestinian state in the middle of a war started by Hamas wouldn't send the message that Hamas's methods get results. You'd pathetically attempt to spin it as a tactic by the terrorists who committed (or, if you ask the Palestinians, did not commit) the October 7 atrocities. You'd insist that these terrorists did not represent the Palestinian people, the same Palestinian people who would prefer the war continue than that the terrorists put down their guns. It really is a dilemma. The face of students-and-shires British progressivism says one thing about Hamas, but the people in the West Bank and Gaza say another. Who are you going to believe? Ed Davey, or those lying Palestinians?
